


The Letter

by TheShinySword



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Romantic Comedy, a tiny bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 13:31:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21302891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShinySword/pseuds/TheShinySword
Summary: Sayo tries to write Tsugumi a love letter, but something gets a little lost in the delivery
Relationships: Hazawa Tsugumi/Hikawa Sayo
Comments: 12
Kudos: 165





	The Letter

**Author's Note:**

> I needed to take a pause from my increasingly angsty multi-chapter story. So of course I decided to write Sayo who, as we all know, has never been angsty once in her life.

Sayo Hikawa had come to the realization that she would either have to tell Tsugumi Hazawa of her romantic attraction or accept that she would soon die of caffeine induced heart failure. The guitarist had never intended to become a fixture at Hazawa Coffee, she had simply stopped by one day, looking for a quiet place to finish her homework, and stayed for four hours because Tsugumi looked adorable in an apron and brought free refills directly to Sayo’s table. Seven refills. Seven bright smiles. Seven times Sayo’s heart stopped beating.

To Sayo’s surprise, she found her feet led her to Hazawa Coffee again the next day, and the next, and the next until suddenly she was a regular customer with a regular table and a repertoire with the gentle sweetheart barista of Afterglow. The repertoire was mostly Sayo nodding her head and holding up her empty coffee cup, but it was a start.

Unfortunately, the speed of Sayo’s heartbeat and the butterflies careening around her stomach were as much from the caffeine erratically coursing through her system as they were from her crush. She only had to suffer from a handful of sleepless night to realize it had to end. She would have to come clean to Tsugumi or start drinking decaf. And Hazawa Coffee didn’t offer refills on decaf.

And so Sayo found herself staring at a blank sheet of paper on her desk, searching for the words to simply express the complexity of the emotions she felt. Even the greeting alluded her. ‘Dear’, ‘Hello’, ‘Salutations’, ‘To whom it may concern’, each possibility contained an infinity of implications and assumptions. How was she to know which was right?

Sayo sighed and placed down her pen. How could she write a full letter when she couldn’t write a word?

“What you got there Sis? You writing a love letter?”

Sayo’s entire body tensed as her twin sister entered her frame of view, previously unnoticed. “Hina! What did I say about entering my room?”

“Don’t do it when you’re practicing guitar,” Hina scanned the room, “I don’t see your guitar anywhere, so it’s totally fine.”

Technically, Hina was correct. Sayo decided to let it slide. She turned in her chair as Hina retreated to Sayo’s bed with a spin. “How did you know it’s a love letter?”

“Woah. I was right? Boppin’! Who’s it for? Yukina?”

“No.”

“Lisachi!”

“Hina, please leave.”

“Oh my gosh, is it me? How taboo!”

“Get out of my room.”

“I can help Sis!” Hina raised her hand with a grin. “I get tons of love letters.”

“Clearly none of them have worked.”

“Well duh! I never get like a super boppin’ one ya know?” Sayo had no idea what that meant but she let Hina continue. “Like they’re all the same ‘I like you please go out with me!’ ‘Hina-senpai you’re so hot please date me!’ ‘Step on me, senpai!’ stuff like that. If it’s coming from you it’s got to be a letter only you can write!”

“A letter only I can write? Maybe...” Sayo glanced at her bookshelf, her eyes landed on a book of classical poetry, a poem was no good, but perhaps… Sayo smiled with the confidence she could only muster when she had a plan to follow. “Thank you Hina, that was surprisingly helpful.”

“Yeah?!” Hina jolted up in shock, “Yeah! So you’ll let me read it when you’re done?”

“Absolutely not.”

Once she’d finally shoo’d Hina from her room, Sayo sat down to write again. She closed her eyes, letting the image of Tsugumi, bright eyes and earnest smile, fill her mind. Sayo focused on the details: the way Tsugumi brushed her hair back when it fell into her eyes as she worked, the way she poured coffee so slow and purposefully as to never spill a drop, the way she’d hold an empty tray to her chest while they talked. She would find a way to translate all the little motions that made up the girl to words, to let Tsugumi see herself as Sayo did. As someone totally infatuated did.

_Hikawa-san,_

_ We once again find ourselves at the transition between seasons..._

Sayo didn’t put the pen down again until the sun started to rise outside her window. The letter was eleven pages long, so thick it could only be slid into a heavy manila envelope. Every word of it held a carefully picked piece of Sayo’s heart. She could only hope it would be apparent.

* * *

Writing the letter was a challenge, but delivering it was an entirely graver matter. Presenting it while Tsugumi was at work seemed obvious, but it would be highly irresponsible to bother her while she was working. If they attended the same school Sayo could simply slip it into Tsugumi’s shoe locker but sneaking into Haneoka would only draw suspicion. She could ask Hina to deliver the letter but that would be tantamount to asking Hina to read the letter. Lisa and Ako would be happy to assist but the more people brought into the fold the less likely Sayo was to actually go through with it. She would have to deliver the letter outside of school.

Which introduced another difficulty: the guard dogs of Afterglow. Tsugumi was never alone, another member of her band always hovered at her heels. Sayo admired their dedication to their friendship, but it made it difficult to find a moment to pass Tsugumi the letter alone.

It wasn’t a matter of which member of Afterglow was most sympathetic to Sayo’s plight, but which one was least likely to cause her physical or emotional harm. Ran and Sayo spoke the same language of angry glances and exhausted sighs but Ran had a tendency to speak her mind without a filter. Moca was a wildcard, Sayo only knew enough about her to be wary. Himari was the worst of all. She didn’t have the ruthless cunning fo the other two but Sayo knew her to be a gossipy sort and would undoubtedly know what Sayo was up to. Even if she approved of the potential relationship (if Sayo could be so bold as to hope) Himari would make sure, whether intentionally or not, that everyone in the district knew of Sayo’s intentions.

There had only ever been one option: Tomoe had always been sympathetic to Sayo, they were almost friends even. Plus, Tomoe was dense, for lack of a more polite term. It was possible she wouldn’t even realize what Sayo was up to. Tomoe and Tsugumi both had after school part time jobs in the shopping district, sometimes Himari joined them on their way to work but not on alternating Tuesdays. That meant the upcoming Tuesday was Sayo’s best (only) shot at giving Tsugumi her letter.

Sayo wasn’t a stalker, she assured herself, she was just very observant.

The guitarist made her plan to conveniently bump into Tsugumi and Tomoe outside Hazawa coffee, just early enough before work she wasn’t being an inconvenience but close enough to work she couldn’t reasonably linger around. It would, as with all of Sayo’s carefully laid plans, go flawlessly.

The day of her plan, she waited just around the corner from the coffee shop, ears peeled for the sound of a familiar voice.

“I’d definitely win, no contest,” Tomoe’s booming voice triggered Sayo’s feet. She began to round the corner just in time—

“Tomo-chin would probably win in a fight, she’s got the height factor. She could just hold out her arm and ya know, bajam!” —For an unexpected dreamy voice to cut in. Moca Aoba?!

“Sayo-san’s probably pretty scrappy,” Ran’s voice cut in. Why was Ran there? Why was Ran talking about how scrappy Sayo was. “I think she’d fight dirty.”

“She’d bring a knife!” Himari’s bubbly voice rose over all the others.

Sayo tried to turn around mid-stride, but it was too late, she was suddenly face to face with all of Afterglow standing in front of Hazawa coffee. In the middle was Tsugumi, flanked on all side by her increasingly intimidating companions.

“Speak of the bread bun!” Moca gasped at Sayo’s appearance.

“Don’t you mean devil?” Ran raised an eyebrow.

Moca tsked. “I’d rather some bread appear than the devil.”

“Hazawa-san,” Sayo cleared her throat to still her nerves. It wasn’t working, “and friends.”

Afterglow watched her with amused suspicion. Their eyes flicked between Sayo, Tsugumi and the envelope clutched tight in Sayo’s hands.

“Sayo-san!” Tsugumi chirped excitedly, completely oblivious to her friends looks, “will you come by the shop today? It’s been a while, I’ve missed seeing you.”

Please don’t say such endearing things in front of your friends, Sayo wanted to say while clutching her pounding chest. Instead she said, “I’m sorry, I will be unable to stop by today.”

In almost slow motion she could see Moca’s mouth open to say something that would undoubtably distract them completely. Sayo had one shot, there was no turning back.

“This is,” Sayo hesitated, she couldn’t say it out loud. Definitely not in front of the whole band, “I believe it will be clear once you read it.”

And with that she pushed that manilla envelope into Tsugumi’s confused hands, bowed deeply, sharply turned on her heels and purposefully strode away.

As she walked into the distance she could barely make out Moca’s dreamy voice: “Maybe she would beat Tomo-chin in a fight, she’s tricky.”

* * *

Sayo didn’t sleep that night. The combination of nerves and caffeine withdrawal did a number on her body. She laid awake in bed with a knot in her stomach and a painful thumping beat in her head and no hint of relief for either one.

No response came that day. Sayo kept her phone close at hand, even in school much to the chagrin of her disciplinary committee member heart, but there were no texts outside of the Roselia group chat (actually just Ako and Lisa texting back and forth). Sayo considered passing by the coffee shop but her heart couldn’t take it. She tried to pass time with practice but, frankly, her form was terrible.

The second day went much like the first. A teacher called Sayo out for checking her phone in class and found Sayo found herself forced to confiscate her own cellphone. It didn’t matter because Tsugumi wasn’t going to text anyway. She’d clearly read the letter and now hated Sayo, that was the only explanation Sayo’s increasingly spiraling mind could come up with. She didn’t sleep that night either.

By the third day Sayo couldn’t stand it anymore. Whether Tsugumi hated her or not it was rude to not respond to someone’s very sincere letter. Sayo charged straight to Hazawa coffee before band practice to pry an answer from Tsugumi directly. The barista was there, normal as ever, in her apron buzzing from table to table. Her face lit up in a divine glow upon seeing Sayo. Sayo instantly forgot that she was mad.

“I’m sorry!” Tsugumi bowed her head quickly, “I’m still thinking about your letter! I haven’t figured it out just yet.”

Figured what out? What was there to figure out Either Tsugumi returned Sayo’s feelings or she did not, there was no middle ground to mull upon! But Sayo kept those thoughts in her head and ordered a cup of coffee to go.

At least the caffeine helped.

* * *

There was an awful TWANG noise as Sayo’s hand slipped off her guitar in the middle of practice. The rest of Roselia crashed to a stop around her. Sayo made mistakes sometimes but she didn’t make such obvious ones.

“Are you okay Sayo-san?” Ako leaned over her drum kit to gawk at Sayo. “You look exhausted.”

Sayo barely had the energy to be angry at herself. “I apologize, I haven’t slept well the past week.”

Lisa exchanged a concerned look with Yukina, “Why don’t we take a quick break?”

“I assure you, I’m fine.”

“Sayo, you’re holding your guitar backwards.”

“Oh.”

While Ako, Rinko and Yukina wandered off to find something sweet to eat, Lisa dragged Sayo into a pair of chairs. Sayo recognized the look on her face as Lisa’s patented concerned mother look. It was rarely aimed at Sayo. “Okay, so what’s up with you?”

The truth unexpectedly tumbled from Sayo’s mouth, “I gave Hazawa-san a love letter three days ago.”

“Wow, I did not expect that,” Lisa’s surprised turned to pity, “Did she reject you?”

Sayo shook her head, “She hasn’t responded yet.”

“Tsugumi-chan hasn’t responded yet? That’s not like her, she’s so diligent.”

“I asked her if she had a response and she told me she hadn’t figured it out yet.”

Lisa paused, clearly choosing her next words carefully. “Sayo… how do I phrase this?” She clasped Sayo’s shoulder with a sigh, “Did you actually say ‘I like you’ in the letter?”

“Not in so many words.”

“How many words did you use?”

“Eleven pages.”

“Eleven! That’s our Sayo for you.” Lisa laughed, “What did you talk about for eleven pages?”

“The changing seasons mostly, the cycle of sunrise and sunset, there’s a very length passage about Mt. Fuji. I feel they made my intentions clear.” That’s how it always was in classical poetry. Poets always tried to find ‘I love you’ in the song of a bird or the falling of a maple leaf. Those poems always said everything but the exact words the poet really wanted to say. Or, it dawned on Sayo, was too afraid to.

“Poor Tsugumi-chan.”

Sayo stared at a particularly worn patch of carpet as she realized that extended nature metaphors were perhaps not the surest way to a teen girl’s heart. “I need to get that letter back.”

“Why don’t you try talking to her?”

Lisa’s words fell on exhausted ears.

* * *

Sayo managed to hold her guitar properly for the rest of practice. It wasn’t a particularly fruitful practice but at least it kept her mind occupied before she ran back, once more, to Hazawa coffee. She’d simply ask for the letter back, she decided standing in front of the glowing shop windows. They were closing up for the night, the only movement inside the store was Tsugumi wiping down some tables, bobbing her head to an unheard song.

Sayo stalled at the door. Would it really end if she got the letter back? It wasn’t as though she make Tsugumi unread it. Though if Sayo’s meaning was as unclear as Lisa seemed to think it was maybe she could pass it off as a creative writing project gone awry. Perhaps Tsugumi was taking so long because she was taking a red pen to the letter. Sayo could save the situation, somehow.

Ting~ Ting~ The shop bell announced Sayo’s entrance.

“Sorry, we’re actually closed!” Tsugumi glanced over her shoulder, “Ah! Sayo-san!” The sound of her laughter was like crystal clear water on a hot day. “I get to see you twice in one day? I’m so lucky.”

“Hazawa-san,” Sayo’s voice rumbled. The lack of sleep had made her voice rough and low. “I need my letter back. My apologies, I never should have given it to you in such a state.”

Tsugumi reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out the thick pile of papers. “No, I’m sorry. You trusted me with something so precious and I haven’t managed to understand it yet.” She looked Sayo straight in the eyes, “But please just give me a little more time.”

Tsugumi’s hands quivered on the worn edges of the letter. The ink on the pages was smudged here and there. She could tell it had been folded and refolded over and over. Sayo smiled despite herself. How many times had Tsugumi read it over? Sayo pictured Tsugumi pouring over the letter at her desk, carefully turning over every word for clues to its meaning, taking note of the phrasing and rhythm. She recognized the slight circles under the barista’s eyes, they matched the ones under Sayo’s. Sayo felt all at once very touched and a little foolish.

“I don’t think you can understand the letter.”

“I can!” Tsugumi insisted. “Ran loves these kinds of metaphors, I promise I’m used to them, it’s just taking me time. I want to understand you, Sayo-san.”

Sayo slowly shook her head. “No, you see, I forgot to include the most important piece of information in the letter.” She breathed deep. As the air filled her lungs, her mind filled with an odd sort of serenity, “I have feelings for you. Romantic feelings. That is to say, I like you.”

Tsugumi’s face turned crimson, from the tip of her nose to the tips of her ears and all the spaces in between, just like the autumn leaves Sayo had so carefully described. Her eyes grew wide. Her delicate hand flew to her mouth and then suddenly she turned all her attention to the letter in her hand.

“Um, then the glistening of snow in winter?”

“It’s your smile,” Sayo’s mouth curled up without her permission.

Tsugumi leafed through the pages. “And the clarity of the autumn sky?”

“Your eyes.”

“The sublimity of a summer breeze?”

“Your easy manner.”

“And the blossoming of spring flower buds.”

“Those are…” Sayo found the wherewithal to be bashful, “your lips.”

“So this letter is really a portrait of me,” the barista covered her face with Sayo’s words, peeking bashfully over the top. Her eyes twinkled with the blissful grin Sayo imagined under the pages.

Finally, she understood. Sayo stepped forward, still far enough from Tsugumi to be proper. “It’s a portrait of you, rendered in landscape.”

“So if I’m the forest scenery, you must be the celestial river cutting through it!”

Sayo’s brow furrowed, “I don’t believe I wrote of a river.”

“Really?” Tsugumi examined the pages with a confused look, “How funny! I pictured a river through the forest the whole time.”

“I think the river would be a fine addition.”

Tsugumi folded the letter with careful hands like it was something very precious to her and tucked it into her apron. “Please give me time to write a proper response.”

Sayo balked, “No please, it’s alright.”

Tsugumi reached out and clasped Sayo’s hand between hers. Her two small hands sandwiched Sayo’s long fingers. “You put so much thought into this.”

Sayo was finally out of words to say. She could only look at Tsugumi, face filled with determination, and nod. She was so, so tired, but she couldn’t bear to close her eyes even to blink.

The smaller girl pulled away, embarrassed at her own boldness. She shuffled away, seemingly forgetting that this was her coffee shop, not Sayo’s. When Tsugumi was out of sight, Sayo finally let out a very long sigh.

And then Tsugumi burst back into the room, “Um! Just so you know. The answer is going to be yes! I mean, it’s me too? I’m not sure. But I like you too Sayo-san! I like you so much!”

Sayo felt the familiar light buzz of caffeine in her heart and she hadn’t had a drop.

* * *

**Three days earlier**

“Bye Tsugu~” Moca waved at Tsugumi’s back as she disappeared into her coffee shop. She turned to the rest of her friends with a sly grin, the only kind Moca ever had, “I can’t believe Sayo gave our Tsugu a love letter. Right in front of our faces~”

“It was so big! What do you think she wrote about?” Himari giggled.

“Probably leaves and stuff. Maybe we can mine it for lyrics later~” Moca threw her arms around Himari and Ran’s shoulders. “I can’t believe our Tsugu’s all grown up.”

Tomoe looked from one friend to the other, confused. “Wait that was a love letter? Are you guys sure?”

Ran shook her head. “Did you think it was a letter of challenge?”

“Yeah, kinda.”

“Sayo would definitely beat you in a fight.”

“Hey! If she hurts our Tsugu I’ll kick her ass.”

“If she hurts Tsugu you’ll have to get in line.”

“Good luck Sayo~ you’ll definitely need it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Broke: Sayo is a teenage girl struggling to overcome an inferiority complex that causes her to lash out externally, so she pairs nicely with Tsugumi who has an internally focused inferiority complex.  
Woke: SayoTsugu is a great pairing because Tsugumi is a romance fan and Sayo is basically Mr. Darcy but as a Japanese teenage girl. She seems like a jerk but is actually very kind and awkward, she'll never stop calling you by your last name no matter how in love with you she is, she 100% would write an elaborate letter before just saying things with words out loud and no one can convince me she wouldn't tell Tsugu "I love you. Most ardently" dramatically in the rain!


End file.
